ok, after sailing a bit, im trying to figure out this whole trapeze thing... when flying the hull, do you get in before or after its out of the water? and ive read many articles on "the proper way" to get out on the wire... but nothing on how to get back in... can someone tell me how to get back in when i fly the hulls? thanks.

You come back in when you want to/ need to to tack or whatever. The process is simply the reverse of going out.
The hulls are both in the water presumably when you come in.
Hope that helps....
Greg

When you come back in, to pay attention to not to slip in this case you may capsize !

Mizi

The whole point of trapezing is to counter-balance the heeling of the boat. It allows you to carry more power (=speed) when sailing in higher winds.

When you are flying a hull, you want to stay out on the trapeze to help balance the boat. Coming in off the wire would make the hull fly even higher (all else being equal, like not letting the sail out).

As a skipper, most of us will power up the boat until the windward hull is "light" - not flying, but definitely thinking about it. You go out on the wire, sheet in to fully power up the boat and support your weight out there and off you go!

The point about trapezing being a means getting more speed is true if you are racing. I do it for fun and fly a hull for the thrill of it. Flying a hull dumps a lot of air out of the sail and the boat slows down. I also do it for comfort in a pretty strong breeze. I get out on the wire to counterbalance the force not necessarily to go faster and I find I am more comfortable with my back fully supported than sitting on the tramp luffing the sail to keep under control.

To get to the original question, to come in off the wire, slack off the main sheet a foot or more and cleat it. You should now not be flying a hull. I throw the main sheet across to the other side of the tramp and start my turn into the wind. Once the main sheet is out of your reach don't wait to turn. When the power is reduced (you will feel the change as the boat stops heeling) slide in as if you were on a child's swing. Lift your rear over the bar and control the swing in with your feet. Get unhooked pass the tiller around, hook up on the other side, shift the jib, grab the main sheet and go back out on the new tack. Sounds like a lot to do but it happens fast.

Howard

Getting back in just takes practise-like getting out. I try get the boat under control before going it. So going in when the hull is flying is not a good idea (you will probably capsize). If you find the hull is constantly up, either release some main sheet, or head a little more up wind. This will flatten the boat. Also watch for gusts approaching before going in. Rather stay out until the gust has passed. Then almost swing in, bending your knees to conrtol it until your feet have to go in. Don't want take your weight off the cable until in. It might help putting the rear leg on the hull, just behind the pylon. With regards to crew, I prefer going in before my crew- not sure if this is correct. Maybe someone else can comment on this. Once in, rememebr that you don't have the extra weight out to balance the boat, so the hull will fly easier, so either head up a little if you need the time before taking or let the travellor out a whee bit:) Hope it helps. If anyone spots errors in this please correct me

Just one last comment. Don't straddle the bungee cord when you come in off the wire. Causes all sorts of problems.

Howard

one thing you also want to make sure if you are gonna pull the whole throw the sheet to the otehr side of the boat and turn immedately before you need to use it again thing, then you should make sure you can unclip really quickly. It would suck to turn around and then all of a sudden be stuck on the trapeze on the wrong side of the boat. That's a sure way to flip and then possibly get stuck under the sail and tangled up in stuff